Was done to death? and more than so, my father. Holinshed reports, under date of February, 1462, that 'the earle of Oxford, far striken in age, and his sonne and heire the lord Awbreie Veer, either through malice of their enimies, or for that they had offended the king, were both, with diuerse of their councellours, attainted, and put to execution; which caused Iohn earle of Oxford euer after to rebell.' Actually, however, the present earl did not declare himself for the house of Lancaster till much later (1470).
III. iii. 127. Exempt from envy, but not from disdain. This complex sentence (lines 123-128) is taken practically without change from the True Tragedy. The idea is that Edward's love is so genuine, so solidly rooted in appreciation of Bona's virtue and beauty, that it need apprehend no misconstruction (envy), though its very sincerity lays the king particularly open to pain if Bona should reject his suit.
III. iii. 157. Proud setter up and puller down of kings. Virtually the same words which Margaret here applies to Warwick have been addressed by King Edward to the deity in II. iii. 37: 'Thou setter up and plucker down of kings.'
III. iii. 186, 187. Did I forget that by the house of York My father came untimely to his death? The lines are taken directly from the True Tragedy, but contain no truth. Salisbury, Warwick's father, was captured by the Lancastrians at the battle of Wakefield and by them beheaded. Compare note on II. iii. 15.
III. iii. 188. Did I let pass th' abuse done to my niece? The chronicles report vaguely that Warwick had received some such injury from Edward. (Bulwer-Lytton's novel, The Last of the Barons, ascribes the hostility of Warwick and Edward to abuse done Warwick's daughter.)
III. iii. 242, 243. I'll join mine eldest daughter and my joy To him forthwith in holy wedlock bands. It
